Wind Sensors on Kites

Chris Fastie of the KAPtery has been testing the Modern Device wind sensor for Public Lab by putting them up on kite-borne sensor arrays. Chris has been documenting his work on Public Lab’s collaborative research platform. Below you can see the $27 Modern Device wind sensor compared to a $300 Kestrel 550 anemometer.

It tracks surprisingly well, though gives a consistent lower reading which we believe is how the sensor was mounted in the rig (it has a directional bias). Seeing how these sensors are used in the field is very helpful to us; we are now working on a boost regulated mod that will allow you to power it from a few AA batteries instead of the 10V the sensor requires now (well > 9.2V technically).